There are three known Deep Tribes: The Beasthunters, the Greenwalkers, and
the Fishers. Long ago, there were more, but the growth of sapient
population of Arden has squeezed some tribes into extinction, and others
have evolved into settlements that can no longer be called Deep Tribes
(though there are often recessive traits in those groups that can bring
out the magical abilities more common in the Deep Tribes).

The Deep Tribes are not Fae, but humans long twisted by exposure to the
"pooled" magic of the most ancient parts of Arden. In fact, Fae tend to
be highly uncomfortable around the living places of the Deep Tribes. Deep
Tribemembers tend to be a bit short and lithe, and often have upswept
ears. On a less cosmetic level, they're a hardy people, surprisingly
strong, and several magical abilities tend to run in their bloodlines.
Primary among these is the power of Twilight, though most never manage to
develop it to the point of Shadow travel, and most of the Deep Tribes are
xenophobic enough that they wouldn't Shadow travel if they could. Other
abilities sometimes include healing abilities and animal telepathy.

The Deep Tribes are largely mysterious to outsiders. They are often highly
xenophobic, suspicious of those they perceive as invaders of their territory,
and liable to act on slights hundreds of years old. But even when they are
at their most friendly, the Deep Tribes are enigmatic -- few have the capacity
to pierce the primitive, but ancient culture of the oldest dwellers of the forest.

The Tribes

The Beasthunters are the most numerous tribe, and the most "cosmopolitan."
None the less, they're a stone age culture, albeit such an old one that
they have a certain non-technical sophistication. Unlike the other two
tribes, they'll occasionally allow outsiders into their society briefly.
They greatly prize their hunting skills.

The Fishers dwell on the Black Moor, where the largest river in Arden
widens into a disturbingly quiet swamp. The Fishers pole about the Moor
on their shallow-draught craft, and rarely speak even to the Greenwalkers
or the Beasthunters.

The Greenwalkers are the smallest tribe, and they range the most widely
through the forest. They tattoo complicated camouflage patterns on their
skins, and are said to be some of the most powerful users of Twilight.

Guardians of Ancient Magic

All three Tribes make it their business to guard some areas of Arden where
its ancient magic is twisted, and tends to mutate creatures into monsters.
While they're not always successful in containing such monsters, Arden owes
more than most know to the Tribes.

These areas of magic are likely responsible for the differences between Deep Tribemembers
and the human stock from which they are descended. Their status as deep, dangerous parts
of the forest are also doubtless responsible for some of the rumors that pass through
Arden, few of which are complimentary to the Deep Tribes.

A Dying Race

All three of the Tribes (especially the Greenwalkers and the Fishers) are
seriously inbred at this point, and fertility among both males and females
is on the wane. If current trends continue, the tribes will probably
become too small to support a society in a century or two.

As their fertility declined, the Tribes have gradually created customs which might
seem a bit bacchanalian to less endangered peoples. Four times a year (the solstices
and the equinoxes), they hold festivals which look suspiciously like a quick framework
for orgies. Which is accurate enough -- but three quarters of the children of the
Tribes are the results of these festivals, and without them, it seems certain
that the Tribes would have vanished long ago.

The Deep Tribes are heavily inspired by Anne Logston's fine fantasy books Shadow,
Shadow Dance, and Shadow Hunt, as well as TSR's D&D supplement, The Elves
of Alfheim. The material was reinterpreted, melded, and modified by Michael Sullivan
(Epoch).